Fruit coring machine



Nov. 15, 1966 T ARMSTRONG FRUIT CORING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Original Filed Sept. 5, 1963 INVENTOR. JZ/EOfiOPE Ae/wsneo/va JAM M/JAM Nov. 15, 1966 T. ARMSTRONG 3,285,388

FRUIT CORING MACHINE Original Filed Sept. 5, 1963 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 I NVEN TOR. Ii /00025 APMST/POA/G fine/vars.

Nov. 15, 1966 V T. ARMSTRONG FRUIT CORING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 5 Original Filed Sept. 5, 1963 INVENTOR. 11/500025 AEMSTQONG 4T TOPA/EYS.

Nov. 15, 1966 T. ARMSTRONG FRUIT CORING MACHINE 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR. fine-000,05 APMST/PO/VG 2%, m JM Original Filed Sept. 5, 1963 firraeusys.

United States Patent 3,285,388 FRUIT CORING MACHINE Theodore Armstrong, Torrance, Califi, assignor to Pacific Preserving C0., Gardena, Calif., a corporation of California Original application Sept. 3, 1963, Ser. No. 305,991. Divided and this application Oct. 22, 1965, Ser. No.

1 Claim. (Cl. 198-33) This is a division of application Serial No. 305,991, filed September 3, 1963.

This invention relates to apparatus for coring fruit such as apples or pears.

Known machines for performing such functions require hand placement of the fruit into cups or receivers. This is normally required since the axis of the fruit core must be aligned with the cutters. After placement in the cups or receivers, the machine bores through the core, ejects the core, clasps the fruit, transfers it, cuts out the seed pocket, and finally deposits the whole fruit upon a spindle for passage through knife edges that cut the fruit into neat sections.

One of the important objects of this invention is to provide a unique coring system that automatically orients the axis of the fruit core so that human loading is obviated. I have discovered that vibration of a support results in vertical orientation of the core. Thus, in order to accomplish this result, the fruit is vibrated as it enters the machine, thus achieving the required core alignment.

Another important object of this invention is to provide a coring system in which fruit so oriented is grasped by a single pair of jaws, and continuously held by those jaws until cored and discharged from the machine. Not only is the machine materially simplified by this arrangement, but the possibility of damage to the fruit is virtually eliminated.

This invention possesses many other advantages, and has other objects which may be made more clearly apparent from a consideration of one embodiment of the invention. For this purpose, there is shown a form in the drawings accompanying and forming a part of the present specification, and which drawings are true scale. This form will now be described in detail, illustrating the general principles of the invention; but it is to be understood that this detailed description is not to be taken in a limiting sense, since the scope of this invention is best defined by the appended claim.

Referring to the drawings:

FIGURE 1 is a top plan elevational view of a coring machine incorporating my invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged sectional view taken on a plane corresponding to line 2-2 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the apparatus shown in FIG. 1',

FIG. 4 is a diagrammatic view illustrating the coring process;

FIG. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along a plane corresponding to line 55 of FIG. 1;

FIG. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary sectional view taken along the offset plane indicated by line 6-6 of FIG. 5; and

FIG. 7 is a fragmentary sectional view taken along a plane corresponding to line 77 of FIG. 5.

In FIGS. 2 and 3 there is illustrated a channel 10 for feeding fruit, in this instance peeled apples 11, to the coring machine. The channel 10 may be slightly inclined with respect to the horizontal in order to determine a normal feed in the direction of the arrow 12. The channel 10 is shown as a part of conveyor apparatus 13. The channel is vibrated by a vibrator 14, which may be of any one of a number of known types.

3,285,388 Patented Nov. 15, 1966 An apple characteristically has a substantial depression at the area of the stem, as well as a small depression at the blossom end of the fruit. When the apple rests upon a support with the stem depression lowermost, the fruit is quite stable since there is a large circular line of contact surrounding the stem, When the fruit is in any other position, it is relatively unstable and prone to rotate. Accordingly, by vibrating the channel it) the fruit rotates until it ultimately arrives at this most stable position, namely, stem end down. By keeping the amplitude and frequency of vibration within suitable limits, the gravitational force of the fruit itself resists further rolling action. Yet vibrations assist in the movement of the fruit so oriented along the channel. I have found that by vibration it is possible to orient a very substantial percentage, approaching As the fruit reaches the end of the channel 10, its core is oriented vertically. Opposed to and spaced from the end of a channel is a knife 15 (FIGS. 3 and 6). The knife 15 extends in a vertical plane p, the extension of which bisects the channel 10. The knife 15 has upper and lower forwardly inclined cutting edges 16 and 17 extending from a common apex. The apex is located above the level of the channel floor at the height of the center of the fruit 11. By advancing the fruit along the cutting plane of the knife 15, maintaining the orientation thereof, the fruit is cut precisely in two along the axis of its core.

The knife 15, as shown in FIG. 1, has a base end 18 fastened to an upright or support 19. A pair of machine screws 20 and 21 pass through slots 22 and 23 and engage the upright 19. The support 19 projects upwardly from a horizontal table 24.

In order to move the fruit from the end of the channel 10 past the cutting edges 16 and 17, while maintaining the vertical orientation of the fruit core, two sets of cups 25 and 26 are provided. The cup sets 25 and 26 move in circles substantially tangent to each other at the cutting plane p, with the cups facing outwardly. The fruit is fed by the channel 10 to the area in advance of the tangent point so as to be clasped by a pair of cups, one of the set 25 and the other of the set 26. The fruit so clasped is carried through the tangent point at which the cutting knife 15 is located.

When the cups are tangent to the cutting plane p, their axes are perpendicular thereto and at the same level as the apex of the knife 15. Due to the converging configuration of the seats formed by cups, the fruit is centered at the axes of the cups, and thus centered relative to the knife apex. As the fruit is received by the cups, they may be lifted or lowered as they move to seat in the cups depending on the size of the fruit, and centering is achieved.

The cups 25 and 26 are respectively mounted upon turrets 27 and 28. The turrets 27 and 28 are carried at the upper ends of vertical shafts 29 and 30 located equidistantly and symmetrically on opposite sides of the cutting plane p. These shafts as shown, for example, in FIGS. 3 and 5, are mounted upon bearings as at 31 carried by the table 24. A detailed description of one of the sets of cups will suffice as a description of the others since the cups are identical.

Each cup 25 is formed substantially as a cone frustum with the base of the frustum open to form a recess for receiving the fruit. The cups 25 are of such size as to permit entry of less than half of the fruit. Prongs 25a in the recesses slightly penetrate the fruit for holding them in place. In the present instance, there are sixteen cups 25 each facing outwardly of the turret 27 in equiangularly spaced array. Each cup is supported at one end of a noncircular slide 32. Each slide is accommodated in a slot 33 formed in a peripheral upstanding rim 34 of the turret 27. One end of the slide 32 projects radially outwardly of the turret and is accommodated in a rearwardly facing recess 35 formed in the hub located rearwardly of the apex of the corresponding cup 25. The inner end of each slide 32 is provided with a flange 36 to limit outward movement. A compression spring 37 for each slide is mounted upon the turret 27 and normally urges the slide 32 outwardly. The springs 37 are seated in slots 38 formed in the hub 39 of the turret 27. A plate 40 overlies the turret 27 and closes the slots 33 and 38 to confine the parts. A machine screw 41 threadedly attached at an aperture 42 in the upper end of the shaft 29 by the aid of an underlying disc 43 clamps the cover plate 40 to the turret 27.

The shafts 29 and 30 are so spaced and the parts are so proportioned that the cups 25 and 26 will closely approach the cutting plane p. By moving the shafts 29 and 30 in position synchronism, the fruit 11 (FIG. 6) is thus firmly gripped and carried past the knife 15.

The knife 15 is located so as to perform the cutting operations upon the fruit 11 before the halves move past the point of tangency. There is thus no tendency for the diverging motion of the cups to tear the fruit apart. Adjustment of the knife position ensures this result.

Since the slides 32 are capable of radial movement, they can accommodate themselves to fruit 11 of slightly different sizes. Thus the larger the fruit 11, the farther will the slides 32 move inwardly as they pass the cutting knife 15. The cups 25 and 26 have passed the knife 15 and are moving apart together with the respective halves of the fruit 11. The halves of the core of the fruit are respectively exposed along the cut.

In order to assist the movement of the fruit into the converging spaces formed by the cups 25 and 26, a chain conveyor 44 (FIGS. 1 and 3) may be provided. The chain conveyor at one end forms a continuation of the bottom of the channel 10. The other end of the chain conveyor projects between the cups and terminates short of the cutting knife 15. The conveyor 44 is mounted upon a pair of sprocket wheels 45 and 46 (FIG. 1). The sprocket wheel 45 is mounted at one end of a horizontal outboard shaft 47 in turn journalled in a bracket 48 attached to the casing 49 of a gear box 50. The gear box 50 is secured to the table 24 as .by bolts 51. The other sprocket 46 (FIG. 3) is mounted upon a bracket 52 projecting from the casing of the gear box 50. The gear box 50 serves as a means for synchronously driving the conveyor 44 as well as the turret shafts 29 and 30. A motor 53 attached to the table 24 through a suitable detachable coupling 54 operates the gear box 50. The gear box has ahorizontal output shaft 55 parallel to the outboard shaft 47. Both ends of the output shaft are accessible beyond the casing 49. One end of the shaft 55 drives the sprocket 45 for the conveyor chain 44. For this purpose a chain 56 is provided that cooperates with sprocket wheels 57 and 58 (FIG. 3) mounted on the shafts 55 and 47 respectively.

The other end of the gear box shaft 55 carries a pinion 59 for operating the turrets 27 and 28. The pinion 59 meshes with a spur gear 60 mounted on a horizontal shaft 61. The shaft 61 is perpendicular to the cutting plate p and located substantially beneath the knife 15. Bearing brackets 62 and 63 supporting the shaft are attached to the table 24. Opposite ends of the shaft 61 carry bevel gears 64 and 65 (see FIGS. 1 and that cooperate With bevel gears 66 and 67 respectively carried by the vertical turret shafts 29 and 30. Accordingly, upon rotation of the spur gear shaft 61, the sets of cups are rotated in synchronism.

If desire'd, the gear box may be capable of operation n of :a number of different speeds in order to d of the process.

ctive halves of the fruit are carried past es generally designated at 68 and 69 which ally disposed on opposite sides of the cutting plane on the side of the apparatus remote from the feeding channel 10. In order to hold the fruit in the cups 25 and 26 until reaching the coring devices, arcuate guides 70 and 71 are provided that are attached to the support 19 (see FIG. 1). A description of one of the coring devices sufiices as a description of the other.

As the fruit half clears the end edge '72 of the guide 70 (FIG. 6), one of a number of rotary knives 74 moves into engagement with the center of the fruit half. These knives 74 move in a circular path tangent to the circular path of the fruit. Thus the knives move to engage the fruit as the tangency point is reached.

The cutting assembly 68 in this instance has four rotary knives 74 equiangularly arrayed about the vertical axis 75 of a support 76. The support 76 is fastened to top and bottom circular plates 77 and 78 by the aid of screws 79 and 80. The knives 74 are located about the periphery of the support 76 and have upper ends received in bearing bushings 81 carried by the upper plate 77. The lower ends of the knives extend through the lower plate. 78 by means hereinafter to be described. The support 76, as shown in FIG. 6, has arcuate recesses 82 at the center of which the respective knives 74 are disposed.

The lower plate 78 is fastened to a peripheral flange or rim 83 of a support 84. The support 84 in turn is mounted upon a hollow shaft 85 situated at the axis 75. The support 84 and hence the knives 74 are moved in position synchronism with the cups 25 so as to engage the center of the fruit halves. Accordingly, the hollow shaft 85 is rotated in synchronism with the turret shaft 29.

For this purpose the hollow shaft 85 is journalled in bearings carried by arms 86 of a bearing bracket 87. The bracket 87 is fastened to an upstanding frame element 88. A collar 89 spaces the support 84 from the arm 86 and surrounds the hollow shaft 85.

The hollow shaft 85 intermediate the bracket arms carries a bevel gear 90 at the level of the gear 66 carried by the turret shaft 29. The gears 66 and 90 are con nected by the aid of a transfer shaft 91 supported in a bearing bracket 92. Opposite ends of the transfer shaft 91 carry bevel gears 93 and 94 respectively engageable with the bevel gears 66 and 90. Thus as the turret shaft 29 is rotated by the gear box 50 and associated mechanisms, the support 84 and the knives 74 are correspondingly rotated. Since there are four knives 74 and sixteen cups 25, the rate of rotation of the support 84 is precisely four times that of the cup shaft 29.

The knives 74 carry blades 95 having a configuration designed to extract not only the core of the fruit but also the seed pocket. Thus the blades 95 have intermediate bulged portions. Different blades may be provided for different fruit. The blades 95 are accommodated in elongate slots 96 formed in the knives 74. Since the cups center the fruit, the seed pocket is accurately positioned relative to the center of the blades 95.

In order to rotate the knives 74, a motor 97 is provided (FIG. 5). The motor 97 is located beneath the table 24 and on the frame element 88. The motor drives a shaft 98 by the aid of a coupling 99. The shaft 98 projects upward through the hollow shaft 85 and through the base 84. The upper end of the shaft 98 carries a sun gear 100 that meshes with planetary gears 181 mounted at the lower ends of the knives 74. The lower ends of the knives 74 are journalled in bearing bosses formed in the bottom of the base 84.

As the shaft 98 is rotated by the motor 97, the sun gear 100 rotates the planetary gears 101 and the individual knives 74 are rotated. By virtue of the sun-planet arrangement of the gears, rotary movement motion of the support 84 does not interfere with the coupled relationship thereof.

As the base 84 moves as indicated by the arrow 102 in FIG. 6, the knife blades 95 and the fruit move into and out of tangent relationship. When the knives and fruit have moved apart, the fruit is cored. An arcuate guide 103, the end edge of which just clears the knives 74, holds the fruit halves in their cups.

Ultimately the fruit is ejected by the aid of a push rod 104 located at an area beyond the other end edge of the guide 103. The push rod 104 enters a slot 105 formed in the cup 25 so as to dislodge the fruit from the retaining prongs. A chute 106 (FIG. 1) is positioned to receive the ejected fruit half. The chute 106 may discharge the fruit into a suitable vessel or to a conveyor for further processing or packaging.

The guide 103 is mounted by an upright support 107 (FIG. 1) in turn fastened to the table 24. The push rod 104 is similarly mounted upon a support 108 attached to the table 24.

The core removed from the fruit halves tends to collect about the knives 74 and to gravitate toward the lower plate 78. This material is removed by flexible scrapers 109 attached to an arcuate shield 110. A chute 111 suitably located receives the waste material.

The knives, cups, arcuate guides and push rods are quite accessible for cleaning and repair. The knives 74 can be removed after detachment of the top plates as at 77. Cups designed to fit other fruit can readily be substituted. It is only necessary to remove the screw 41 and the cover plate 40.

The inventor claims:

The process of orienting the stem-blossom axis of substantially spherical fruit such as apples having characteristic depressions at the stem and blossom ends, which comprises: placing the whole fruit upon a substantially flat and substantially horizontal surface; vibrating the supporting surface so that the edges about the stem or blossom end of the fruit ultimately contact the said surface to form a relatively stable base for the fruit thus vertically orienting the fruit core, slowly feeding the fruit in a direction substantially parallel to the surface while the surface is being vibrated; and then transporting the fruit from the supporting surface while maintaining its orientation.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,146,456 2/ 1939 Thompson 198-33 2,245,913 6/ 1941 Gridley et a1 198-33 3,101,831 8/1963 Gaddini 221171 X EVON C. BLUNK, Primary Examiner.

R. E. KRISHER, Assistant Examiner. 

